Reach New Heights with ISPI

The Case for Revival

Sat, 16 May 2026 04:35:34 -0700

Part of the ISPI Renaissance Revival Series, honoring the masters who built this field.

When disruption hits, every industry falls into a familiar pattern: sprint forward, adopt whatever is newest, rebrand, pivot. The underlying assumption is that the past has nothing useful to offer a world that looks nothing like it used to.

I want to challenge that assumption. Right now, as the performance improvement field is drowning in AI tools, quick-fix frameworks, and solution-first thinking, the most radical thing ISPI can do is go back. Not back out of nostalgia, but because the people who built this field alreadysolved many of the problems that we are facing today.

In our ongoing Training Masters Revival Series, we recently featured a conversation with Guy W. Wallace. Guy is an ISPI legend, a former ISPI President, our 2010 Honorary Life Member, and a practitioner who has spent decades consulting for Fortune 500 companies.

by Dr. Kasi Guillot, ISPI Academic Programs Director

As ISPI continues its Renaissance, a critical focus is academia’s role in performance improvement. ISPI has long welcomed both scholars and practitioners, but now we can intentionally reconnect these communities in meaningful, modern, mutually beneficial ways. The Academic Committee prioritizes connecting academic learning directly with real-world performance practice.

Academic programs provide knowledge, but students often lack a clear path to apply it, show competence, or connect with the professional community. We aim to close this gap.

Pathways for Students

Our primary initiative is to create structured pathways for students from learners to practitioners. We evaluate how academic coursework—applied projects, capstones, and dissertations-in-practice—demonstrates competence aligned with ISPI standards. Rather than viewing certification separately, we aim to integrate it with students' academic progression so they accumulate credentials like the CPT and CAIT.

This approach makes certification more accessible and spotlights the significance of hands-on, performance-based learning in academic programs. It encourages students to focus on showing what they can do, not just finishing assignments—an important mindset for future professionals.

Partnership with Colleges & Universities

At the same time, we are building stronger partnerships with colleges and universities. These go beyond just membership. We want ISPI to be a real academic partner—helping develop programs, making curricula more relevant, and giving students more chances to get involved in the field early on.

We are broadening academic...Read More

Why ISPI's Future Is a Renaissance

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 13:37:54 -0700

by Dr. Lynne MacBain, CAIT, CPT

Renaissance.

Robert Feeney used the word in his keynote in Nashville. Attendees used it unprompted in their feedback. And the more I have sat with it, the more I believe it is not just an accurate description of where ISPI stands right now. It is the right frame for where we are going.

I did not choose the word because it sounds impressive. I chose it because it is honest.

A Renaissance is not an invention. It is a rediscovery. It is what happens when a community looks at what it already possesses and makes the deliberate choice to put it fully to work.

That is where ISPI stands right now.

Why a Renaissance? Why Now?

The energy in Nashville was hard to miss. Nearly 170 practitioners were in the room, with more joining virtually. People were not just sitting in sessions. They were talking in the hallways, staying late, asking questions, and leaning in.

What I felt in Nashville was a profession rediscovering its identity.

We know who we are. We know what we do that no one else does.

The question is whether we are willing to act like it.

The ISPI Renaissance is not a slogan. It is a strategic frame for 2026-2027, built around four forces already shaping our work: Revival, Breakthrough, Exploration, and Patronage.

Revival

The historical Renaissance began with scholars returning to classical texts. Not because the past was better, but because foundational thinking became more relevant, not less, in a rapidly changing world.

ISPI’s Revival is the same kind of move.

Our methodology is not a legacy concept. It is one of the most rigorous frameworks available for evaluating anything new, including AI. Systems thinking, evidence-based practice, and human performance technology are not relics. They are our...Read More

Emotional Intelligence at Work, Amplified Through AI4PI

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:56:53 -0700

New instructional designers usually have the technical skills they
need, like building courses, using tools, and applying learning
theories. But most programs don’t prepare them for the hardest part:
working with people. Deadlines might change, stakeholders might
disagree, and team tensions might rise. In those moments, technical
skills alone aren’t enough.

Dr. Sonja Irlbeck and Dr. Suzanne Dunn (2020) explain that
“Workplace emotional intelligence (EI) is becoming increasingly
important to employers… emotionally intelligent workers are able to more
successfully navigate within any organizational structure and culture.”

So how can students learn EI?

Performance Improvement provides a way: use real-life scenarios,
practice working together, give feedback, and track progress. It’s hard
to do this for every learner, and that’s where AI4PI helps.

First, we look at what learners need and if they’re ready. AI can
identify where students struggle through analyzing their reflections,
conversations, or team exercises, such as stress, conflict, or team
effort. Then, AI gives practical simulations. For example, one student
might respond to a “frustrated manager” email, while another works
through a virtual team conflict. AI suggests strategies, promotes
reflection, and tracks progress. Instructors still guide the process,
review feedback, correct mistakes, and make sure everything is fair.

The AI4PI Framework guides the...Read More

The Thinking Machine vs. The Doing Machine

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 19:21:38 -0700

Artificial Intelligence isn’t just reshaping tasks—it’s reshaping how organizations think, act, and perform. Yet in the rush to
“adopt AI,” many leaders are misclassifying the very tools they hope
will transform their organizations. And misclassification has
consequences: wasted investment, poorly designed interventions, and
avoidable risk.

The most strategic distinction leaders must understand is this:

Automation and AI Agents are not the same—and they should never be treated as interchangeable.

This is not a technical nuance. It is a performance issue.

Why This Distinction Matters for Performance Improvement Leaders

Every executive wants faster processes, smarter decision-making, and better
customer outcomes. But choosing the wrong type of AI—or applying the
right type in the wrong way—creates real organizational vulnerability.

Automation accelerates what is already predictable.
AI Agents navigate what is variable, complex, or ambiguous.

Treat an agent like automation, and you stop short of innovation.

Treat automation like an agent, and you introduce risk with no upside.

In a business environment defined by speed and uncertainty, knowing the
difference is no longer optional. It’s a strategic competency.

Automation: The Doing Machine

Automation is deterministic. If X happens, do Y. It is the workhorse of
operational efficiency—stable, standardized, and perfectly suited for
high-volume, low-variance tasks. When the performance problem is
friction or delay, automation is the right intervention.

Example: Automating system access for new hires.

This doesn’t require reasoning—it requires consistency. Automation reduces a
3-week administrative bottleneck to a 1-day turnaround. No judgment. No
...Read More

Stop Learning AI Tools

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:28:05 -0700

Most AI training teaches tools. The future belongs to those who can lead with them.

Most professionals feel the pressure of AI. A 2024 Deloitte study shows 77% of workers believe AI raises performance expectations. Yet, most organizations are trying to close that gap by teaching more
tools, not strategy. That approach won’t cut it. What’s needed now is
leadership that can guide AI-enabled performance, not just operate the
latest app.

That’s why the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) created the AI4PI Professional Pathway—the first integrated system designed to help professionals lead AI with
ethics, clarity, and measurable impact. It cuts through the noise of
constant tool churn and gives people what they actually need: a durable,
evidence-based method for implementing AI responsibly.

This shift isn’t about mastering tools—it’s about mastering the foundations that make AI effective. Those foundations come down to four ideas.

1. AI Leadership Starts with Principles—Not Software

Most AI training focuses on features. But features change monthly.

Principles don’t.

Professionals facing rising expectations need a foundation that teaches how to think and lead with AI, not how to chase the next release cycle. The AI4PI Framework—rooted in
ISPI’s research-backed performance standards—builds that foundation
through four guiding principles:

Human oversight
Data integrity and privacy
Ethical and bias-aware design
Governance and risk management

This principle-first approach is what builds confidence. It ensures every AI solution—no matter the tool—is ethical, explainable, and measurable.